Hungry For Love
by MrGooseyMoose
Summary: Tai seems depressed, recently. He also refuses to tell anyone what's bothering him. It's up to Yamato to solve this mystery and bring his best friend back to the brighter side of life. But an unexpected truth lies around the corner... Yamachi
1. Chapter 1

_Things have been different, recently. I mean…y'know, as in really different. Ha! I can't believe I'm struggling to tell my journal something! You must think I'm pretty damn stupid. Then again…everyone else does. You'd be no different. Although you're just a notebook, I guess. You won't hold my intelligence against me. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. Different. I wonder where to begin…_

Yamato forced himself to stop reading here. He had to take it slowly. Grasping every bit of fact from this tiny blue book was _essential_ if he wanted to find the cause of Tai's odd behaviour recently. He knew he was completely breaking his best friend's trust by doing this, but there was no other way. He couldn't help Tai if he didn't understand what was wrong, and he knew all too well that Tai was never going to explain it to him. He'd made that point quite clear the other day.

"Ok…" Yamato began, trying to focus his thoughts back to the task at hand. "He's resentful that people make him out to be stupid. I see where he's coming from, but surely he realises it's just a joke? Hmph…guess not. Either way, that's not the main point. Tai feels like something's different, and knows what it is, but can't quite figure out how to say it – even in a journal. Gotta be something big." He took a deep breath, before turning the page.

It was blank. Not a single word was scrawled across the page, leaving Yamato to sigh in annoyance. "He can't have given up on his journal already, he's only filled one page…" Yamato pondered to himself for a moment, before placing the book back in the top drawer of Tai's desk and getting up. He would be out of the shower soon, anyway, so it was best not to spend too much time doing detective work tonight. It wouldn't bode well for either of them if Tai found out what he was up to.

Yamato stepped out of the bedroom and walked across the hall. Normally he'd be able to hear Tai singing loudly, as he always did when he was in the shower, but that too was one of the things that had changed about him over the last month or so. Tai didn't sing anymore. It was a shame, too, as he had a beautiful voice. Not that Yamato ever told him that, of course.

"Taiii! You almost done in there?" Yamato said, knocking on the bathroom door. He received no reply, save for the sound of the shower running. "Hey…Tai?" He pressed his ear up to the door. He couldn't hear movement – not even the slight sound of someone washing themselves. It was making Yamato anxious, though he tried to hide it from his voice. "Don't screw with me Tai, I really need to pee. Open up!" He grabbed the handle and turned, opening the door enough for him to poke his head in. At first glance it seemed that no one was inside, but that assumption was soon eradicated by the stomach turning image of Tai's naked body lying crumpled at the bottom of the shower.

* * *

Tai woke up with a start; he was lying in his bed, fully dressed in his pyjamas with no memory of how he'd got there. The lights were off, his curtains were closed and the only sound came from somewhere outside of his room. The living room T.V had been left on. He sat up and noticed that there was a small chair at the end of his bed. It was unoccupied, but there was a full water bottle next to it, and a notepad sat on top. Yamato's notepad, to be precise. Tai slowly pulled himself out of bed and walked over to see if anything had been written down in it.

_Hey, it's about time you woke up! Nah, I'm just kidding. You hit your head pretty bad in the shower. Don't pull that face, Tai. It's not like I've never seen you naked before! Anyway, listen. The phones are all down thanks to the storm and I'm not too sure how to handle head injuries, so I've gone to see if anyone around here has an icepack, or something…I'll hurry back. Yama._

With a moan Tai gingerly pushed his hand through his hair; as expected, a lump had already formed on the right side. "Damn it, what happened…?" He mumbled to himself as he crawled back onto his bed. The last thing he could remember was being in the shower, and then…nothing. He was here. That was that. Nothing in between. He just hoped that Yamato wouldn't think too much of the state he was in. As much as he tried to ignore it, there was no denying the fact that he'd grown incredibly skinny over the last month. He was in trouble, and had given up on caring.

A snap of thunder sounded from outside, crashing painfully against Tai's eardrums. He hated storms. Ever since he'd been caught outside in one, miles from home, he could no longer tolerate them. If Yamato hadn't spotted him from his car that day, and asked his dad to pick him up and take him home, he'd have probably ended up in hospital with hypothermia. Then again, if all that hadn't happened, he'd have never met his best friend in the first place. "Puh…" Tai spoke into a pillow, quietly. "He'd be better off without me, anyway."

"You say something, Tai?" Came a voice from behind him. Yamato had returned with an ice pack in his hand.

"No, I didn't say anything…"

"Ok, if you're sure. Not sure if you read my note but…"  
"Yeah, I read it. Thanks Yama." Tai interrupted.

"Good. Anyway, I got an icepack at last. It's surprising, but no one on this floor had one." He walked over and handed it to his friend, before taking a couple of steps back. Tai placed the pack gently over the lump on his head, wincing. "Then again, maybe it would have been faster to just grab a bag of frozen peas…Listen, Tai. We need to talk." Tai already had an idea of what Yamato had in mind.

"…About?"

"Well, I know your parents are gone for the weekend with Kari and, well, I don't feel like leaving you here on your own after you've just hit your head." Tai was shocked for a moment; he had been expecting a lecture about how he's not taking care of himself properly.

"It's not that big a deal you know..."

"It is to me. I know you think I'm a pain, but would you mind if I spent a couple of nights here?"

"Oh, erm…yeah, sure thing Yama. You're not a pain. Didn't mean to sound like I don't want you here, or anything. Just…don't worry about me so much."

"One of us has to." Yamato retorted with a smile, brushing a few strands of bright blonde hair away from his eyes. He had considered asking Tai about the state he was in; it was obvious that he wasn't eating right, and it was Yamato's guess that he had collapsed in the shower because of it. If he was lucky, though, Yamato could feed his friend up without making it obvious. No arguments. No obstacles. No problems. "Listen, I'm gonna go cook something. I'm hungry. Try to get some rest. I left you some water in here if you get thirsty, or anything."

"Thanks."

"I'll leave you to it, Tai." He replied as he turned to leave, before stopping to add "Oh, and sweet dreams." Yamato left, closing the door quietly behind him, and headed for the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Tai got up and pulled open the top drawer of his desk. His journal was waiting for him, as expected. He hadn't written anything in it for a week. With a small yawn he picked up a pen and poured his emotions across the page, hoping that, someday, Yamato would come across it. He knew all too well that he'd never be brave enough to express how he felt about him in person. This way, Yamato wouldn't hate him so much. "…Maybe." Tai added as an after thought, before he hid the book away again and crawled back into bed. "Either way, I'm doomed."

* * *

Pleased with how his stir-fry looked, Yamato served two remarkably large portions into bowls and cleaned up any mess that he'd made in the kitchen. People often joked about how he'd make a great househusband someday, but he disagreed. He thought he'd make an _excellent_ househusband someday. He wanted to be a rock star that happened to be able to take care of himself. Someday he would eat well, clean up after himself and rock all day long with his band, never having to worry about anything. He would be independent. He would be cool. Most importantly, he'd be a catch. It was a shame, though; that he wouldn't be 'caught' by the one he wanted. "It doesn't matter." He thought to himself. "Tai's a crush, and that's all he is. It'll go away in time."

In all honesty, though, he knew was lying to himself. Yamato had felt this way about Tai for over a year now and, whilst he had kept himself under control most of the time, he'd occasionally broken down over it. He could call it a crush as much as he wanted. Somewhere, deep inside himself, he knew it was much more than that.

He exhaled deeply and laid the two bowls of stir-fry down on the table, before going to fetch Tai. He knew how the conversation between them would go before he got there. He'd ask Tai to come have some dinner. Tai would decline. He would pull a guilt trip. Tai would accept. That would be that. Simple.

As predicted, that's exactly how the conversation went when Yamato nudged his friend awake. "Yamaa…what do you want…?" Tai groaned, unwilling to open his eyes.

"C'mon, I've made some stir fry. Yours is all served up and waiting."

"I'm not hungry." Tai retorted, bluntly.

"C'mon, Tai! I just spent ages cooking this stuff for you…I thought you'd like it."

"I know, it's just…"

"Y'know what? Sorry, forget it. Doesn't matter anyway. I shouldn't have…" Yamato said, turning around and heading for the door.

"No! No, I'm sorry Yama. It matters. I was just half asleep, is all. Of course it matters. Thanks, I love when you cook for me." Tai stopped rambling and jumped out of bed, over taking his friend on the way to his food.

"Heh, that's what I thought." Yamato muttered, watching his friend bounce down the hallway. Tai's conscience was powerful; Yamato knew that he'd never be able to live with himself if he'd hurt his best friend's feelings. Even when he was obviously depressed, he was too kind to hurt someone else. "It's a shame he isn't gay, coz he's the nicest, cutest guy in the world." Yamato thought to himself with a cheeky smile. "Forget the dinner, I'd eat him up in an instant."

The two of them sat together and ate their meal quietly. Tai was struggling, as his stomach was objecting to the idea of food. Yamato finished his quickly, though, and assured Tai that it was ok if he couldn't eat it all. Unfortunately, that only spurred him on. By this point Yamato protested quite clearly; if Tai really hadn't been eating much recently, it might make him sick if he ate too much now. Yamato was right.

Tai sprinted out of the kitchen and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He _really_ didn't want to seem vulnerable in front of Yamato, but so far tonight that's all he had been. "I'm a big, stupid, waste of space." He thought, as the door behind him opened and Yamato walked in. "I hate being so weak..." Yamato quietly sighed behind him, and asked, "Do you need any company?" He didn't wait for an answer; instead he chose to walk over and sit down next to the brunette, rubbing his back as he went past.

"Why is it always me, Yama?" Tai whined, lifting his head up from the toilet bowl to face his friend. They made eye contact for a moment, before breaking off. A blush crept across Tai's face. He was always astounded by how beautiful Yamato's deep, blue eyes were, and he could never look at them for long without going red.

"I don't know, I guess you must be getting my share of bad luck, or something." Yamato laughed quietly for a moment, before putting a hand on Tai's shoulder and looking at him affectionately. "Do you…have anything you wanna tell me yet?"

Tai kept silent for a moment, before muttering "No…I, I mean…I'm fine, Yama." He knew how feeble his excuse sounded, but wasn't ready to be interrogated just yet. Yamato must have sensed this, too, because he rapidly changed the subject onto their activities for the night. They soon decided to wrap up together in front of a film, maybe get some popcorn, and go to sleep. Something even Tai would find easy at the moment.

"What films do you have that I haven't seen?" Yamato asked. Tai hesitated for a moment, before listing them all, one by one. He was 100% correct. From his whole collection he managed to pick out the exact 27 films that Yamato had never watched – and it was a big collection. "Wow, you erm…you have a really good memory Tai. I never noticed before."

"It's not that good…"

"Honestly! I couldn't have remembered half of those. That's a really useful skill." He stopped, before remembering Tai's earlier entry and smiling. "Y'know, you're really smart in your own way. I'm so jealous of your brain sometimes." He laughed, before helping Tai to stand up and leading him out towards the living room. Tai didn't reply, but remained, instead, in shock. "He said I'm…smart?" The thought floated around his head for a while; he was very rarely complimented on much more than his soccer skills, and he wasn't sure that he'd heard Yamato correctly. Slowly, though, his lips curved into a grin. Someone out there didn't think he was stupid. Better yet, the guy he loved didn't think he was stupid. For the first time that night, Tai didn't feel like crap. "Well…it's a start, I guess."

**Well, that was chapter one. I'm not sure how many there are going to be altogether…but I don't think there'll be a lot.**

**I deeply appreciate any reviews. Both positive and negative are useful – but don't flame me without being constructive, please. Everyone needs a self-esteem. I'd rather keep mine intact.**

**Anyway, THANKS! I hope you all enjoyed reading this; I certainly enjoyed writing it. =D Until next we meet *disappears in a puff of smoke***


	2. Chapter 2

Yamato opened his eyes at a rapping sound and jumped forward from his seat. Tai was still sleeping peacefully on the couch beside him, happily wrapped up in some fluffy blue blankets, with a content grin on his face. It was barely passed midnight. "If Tai's here, then who…"

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

He jumped forward again, this time to his feet. Someone was outside. That someone was obviously insane. "I swear, if this guy wakes up Tai I'm gonna kill him." He strolled over, shaking off the chill that was currently running along his spine, and unlocked the door.

Sitting on the floor outside was a teenage girl with long, blonde hair, wearing a sleeveless top, a mini skirt and a pair of large, brown boots. She was staring straight up above her; judging by the expression on her face, there was something very captivating floating about. Yamato stared at her fiercely; his eyes were radiating anger, although she remained oblivious to it.

"Ami? What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Yamato asked, as loudly as possible without shouting. He didn't want to wake up Tai.

"I should ask you the saaaame thing, Yamanama…" Ami trailed off, suddenly crouching even lower to the floor with a yelp. A moth had dropped from the ceiling and flown towards her. "Agh! It's gonna eat me!"

"Erm…are you drunk, Ami?" Yamato replied in disbelief, suddenly feeling the annoyance ebb out of him. She was in a pitiful state. She looked too drunk to even know where she was, let alone know _why_ she was there. Ami hesitantly rose to her feet with a wide smile and rolled her eyes.

"Noooo, I don't drink! _You _know that Matt!"

"Well, you look pretty drunk to me." Yamato replied, unsure of how to handle this.

"…shhh, I have to tell you something. It's a secret!" She pulled him closer to her and whispered in his ear. "I'm a tiiiny bit drunk." She giggled, and Yamato pushed her away; the smell was overwhelming. She was breathing it all over him. "Why are we out here? Where's Tai? Taiii! C'mere boy!"

"No, Ami shut it!" He was too late to stop her. Tai's tired voice called out towards them in reply.

"Yamaaaa…what are you doing out there?"

"Nothing. I'll be back in a minute, Tai. Just go back to sleep." Yamato replied with an assuring tone, hoping he'd listen. He didn't. In a moment Tai was standing beside him, staring at Ami in shock.

"W-what are you doing here?" Tai asked, rubbing his eyes as if he was unsure about what he was seeing.

"You're silly Taiii! I'm here to see _you, _of course!" She gave him a gormless smile, before charging past them both and diving into the apartment with a scream. "Agh!" She landed face down on the floor and laid there, rigidly, falling asleep as soon as she touched the carpet. Tai and Yamato looked at each other in shock, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened. They didn't even have it in them to laugh.

* * *

Once he'd recovered from his initial shock, Yamato locked the door again and turned back around. Tai had his face in his hands, and was moaning quietly to himself. Yamato wasn't surprised that his friend was so put out; Tai had been woken up in the middle of the night by his screaming, extremely drunk, ex girlfriend. It was an odd turn of events – especially since they hadn't talked to each other in months.

Yamato remembered their break up _vividly_, as Tai had told him all about it afterwards. Apparently, Ami was the one to kick it off. She didn't think that Tai was very interested in her once they became more than 'just friends'. He didn't kiss her in public, he never got around to saying he loved her (even though she said it all the time to him) and they had certainly never had sex. Infact, the latter is what finally caused her to dump him.

They were at her house, completely alone. Ami had asked him if he'd like to have sex and, after he'd declined the offer for the third time, she exploded all over him – causing Tai to break down into tears and run away. By sheer chance, Yamato was sitting in the park listening to his music when Tai sprinted past him. They spent the rest of the night together, talking things over. He remembered it so well because, quite frankly, Tai was destroyed by it. _She _had done that to him.

"Yama?" Yamato snapped out of it and looked up, finding Tai a lot closer to his face than he'd expected. He could feel the warmth of his breath against his cheek. "You were kinda gritting your teeth and staring at the floor...You ok?"

"Oh, erm…" He stared at Tai for a moment, before backing away. Now was _not_ the time to get lost in his deep, chocolate brown eyes. Even if he wanted to. "I'm ok, Tai. Just thinking. What shall we do with her?"

"Erm…I guess we could put her on the couch. Then we can share my bed, if you want?" Tai blushed as he asked this, though Yamato couldn't see that he had. The lights were still off.

"Y-yeah…" Yamato replied, knowing how hard it would be to avoid kissing him during the night. "_Why_ do I have to be in love with my best friend?" He thought to himself with a whimper. Tai was everything he wanted, and the one thing he would never have. As much as he tried to pretend otherwise, that fact _killed_ him.

* * *

"I can't believe iiiit!" Tai thought to himself excitedly, as he pulled the covers over himself and Yamato. "I'm sharing a bed with Yama! This has _got _to be a dream!" He rolled over to look at his love, face alight with happiness, but was met with the back of Yamato's head. By the looks of it, he wasn't very excited about sleeping together with Tai. "Puh, no surprise there…" He accidentally said the 'puh' out loud, causing Yamato to turn around. He looked slightly concerned. Tai happened to think that Yama looked_ very_ cute when he was concerned.

"Everything alright, Tai?" Yamato yawned, brushing Tai's hair away from his face so that he could see him properly. His eyes were flickering about, trying not to make contact with Yamato's. He didn't want another reason to be blushing right now.

"Huh? Y-yeah, everything's fine…"

"You sure? I could have sworn you just made one of your special pouting noises." Yamato retorted with a laugh. Tai just smiled in reply. "Well, ok then. If you're _sure_. I won't bug you about it." Yamato closed his eyes again, and snuggled up closer to his friend so that his hair was pressing up against Tai's chin.

Tai inhaled deeply through his nose; he could smell the weak aroma of strawberry shampoo, mixed with Yamato's own unidentifiable scent. It was relaxing. Feeling happier than he'd been in weeks, he closed his eyes to rest. Things finally seemed to be going his way.

* * *

By 9 in the morning the sun was out, and shining happily through the crack in Tai's bedroom curtains. He'd slept brilliantly. He was rested, he hadn't had a nightmare (for once!) and he had his Yama asleep next to him. He couldn't help thinking that, at last, life was good. Tai sat up and looked to the side, hoping to watch Yamato sleep for a while, but there was no one there. It didn't take him long to figure out why.

Someone, obviously Yamato, was cooking breakfast, and the smell had drifted into Tai's bedroom. He quickly got out of bed and headed towards the kitchen. He'd been skipping most meals recently and, when he did happen to have them, he'd never managed to finish. Somehow, he was just never hungry. This morning was the opposite, though. Tai was hungry enough to eat Yamato whole. He laughed at that thought. "I guess I'm not just hungry for food. I'm hungry for love."

The kitchen was unoccupied; there was an empty frying pan on the stove, and a pan of bacon in the oven. A stack of buttered toast was already set out in the centre of the table. Yamato was nowhere in sight. "Yamaaa!" Tai called, whilst grabbing a piece of toast. He managed to drop crumbs all the way down the front of his shirt as he ate.

"I'm here Tai. Sorry, I needed to use the bathroom. Help yourself to some toast whilst you're waiting. I'm gonna cook you some eggs, too. I hope you're hungry." Yamato paused, looking at Tai for any signs of rebellion. When he saw nothing but a happy guy munching away on his toast, he continued. "If you give me your shirt I can put it in to wash, too." Tai complied, and dropped his food so he could undress.

"Erm…guys?" They both turned simultaneously towards the voice; Ami was standing in the doorway looking tired, pale, and a little edgy. "I don't have any idea why I'm here so I'm just gonna…go. Thanks for…well, letting me sleep on the couch and stuff." She turned around, and Yamato unfroze from his shocked state.

"Ami, would you at least eat something. You look terrible." She seemed to take this as an insult, and her eyes automatically darted towards the half naked Tai; she could count every rib on his chest.

"I don't look that bad compared to _him_. What, have you had him locked up without food or something? He looks fucking starved."

"Just sit down and _eat_." Yamato replied, choosing to ignore her comment. "I'm losing my patience with you, Ami."

"Yeah. I don't really _care_, Matt. Though if anyone has a headache tablet around here I'll be happy to take it off their hands before I go."

"Don't be an idiot, Ami…" Yamato began, sounding frustrated.

"There should be a pack of them in my room, somewhere." Tai interrupted between mouthfuls of his breakfast. She nodded in reply, and stalked off down the hall towards Tai's bedroom without another word.

* * *

Yamato watched his friend carefully for a while afterwards; he didn't really seem affected by the fact that Ami was here, but he kept glancing down and prodding his chest, grimacing as he did so. Her comment about him looking starved must have hit hard. He was always a little insecure about the way he looked.

"Listen, Tai. Ignore what she said..." Yamato began, trying to boost Tai's self-esteem a little. "She's just looking to pick a fight. You look fine, ok? Trust me. With a couple of square meals you'll be good as new."

"But I…I look horrible Yama."

"No, you look cute and cuddly – as always." He retorted with a wink, causing Tai to giggle. He loved when Yamato flirted about with him; it made him feel like they were going out.

Yamato fried some eggs, piled them onto two plates alongside generous servings of bacon, and ate hungrily with his friend. Tai's appetite was back in full. Not only did he finish eating first, but he started taking food from Yamato's plate, too. "You can give me that innocent grin all you want, Tai. Doesn't mean I'm gonna keep letting you steal my food."

"Yeah, maybe...But, that being said, who dares to defy meeee?" Tai retorted, rising from his chair with a deep, evil laugh.

"Oh, definitely not me. I know better than to get in the way of _your _eating habits, master Tai." Yamato replied, snickering. "You're helping me clean up, though."

* * *

Ami snuck out of Tai's apartment without saying goodbye; she had more than enough to think about. All in all, she decided, it must have been fate that led her there, for everything had _finally_ paid off.

When she made her way into Tai's room a moment ago, she'd noticed that the top drawer of his desk had been carelessly left ajar. Naturally, she had darted straight for it. People say curiosity killed the cat. Even if that's true, though, said cat had nine lives anyway. It could easily afford to waste one of them. It just so happened that_ this_ was definitely not a waste, even if it got her into a heap of trouble.

Now, at long last, she'd be able to get vengeance on Tai for making her feel like an ugly, pathetic, needy bitch that could never attract another guy. It was _his_ turn to drown in a pool of his own insecurities. She would get her revenge, alright, using every damned word that had been poured into that tiny, blue journal, which now happened to be resting underneath her arm. "Hmph. Game over, Tai."

* * *

Tai was in the shower, this time with the door open. He wanted Yamato to be able to hear him if he fell down again. In the meantime, Yamato was cleaning the bed he'd slept in last night. "Correction, the bed _we'd_ slept in last night." He thought to himself, already missing how comfortable he felt snuggled up close to his best friend. It was a feeling he wouldn't soon forget.

With a sigh he turned around to look in the mirror, but something caught his eye first. The top drawer of Tai's desk was fully sticking out and, from this angle, it looked empty. He moved closer, but nothing changed. Apart from a pen, it was well and truly bare. "Hmm…guess he moved it." Yamato muttered, pushing the drawer back in as Tai walked into the room. Both of them froze on the spot.

"Erm…what are doing, Yama?" Tai asked nervously as he fidgeted with the towel that was wrapped around his waist. He was terrified of the answer.

"Nothing erm…I mean, it's not what it looks like. I wasn't looking through your things or anything. Your drawer was open so I just thought I'd close it for you."

"Oh…" Tai muttered, brightening up a bit as he walked over to open it and check for signs of tampering. "It's not that I'm hiding anything special in there, or anything. It's just…yeah." He looked down and the smile dropped from his face. Time stopped, as realisation hit. His journal was gone.

* * *

**That's chapter 2 done and dusted. Hope it was ok! As usual, I appreciate any reviews that you're willing to give. Make it constructive, people! =D**

**Oh, and so far I've neglected to mention that I definitely DON'T own anything in here. Pretty sure these cute lil guys, Tai and Yama, belong to Digimon. They'll be mine someday, though…**

**Thanks for reading. =D**


	3. Chapter 3

Tai stood outside the bathroom door, dressed in a pair of small, white shorts and a pale yellow T-shirt. He bobbed up and down on his heels as he waited, impatiently, for Yamato to finish styling his hair. "C'moooon, Yama! We've gotta make the most of the sun whilst it's still out!" Tai shouted, attempting to encourage his friend to hurry up. "Get your butt in gear!" Yamato grumbled something in reply that sounded like "complaining won't make me go any faster…" and, realising that he was right, Tai left to go and wait by the front door.

Strangely enough, it was Yamato who had asked that they go to the park to play soccer today. _Everyone_ knew he hated the sport; watching it was enough to give him a headache, and no one had _ever _seen him join in before. The only reason he attended the games at school was to support Tai, and he even found _that _a little painful. Still, it was a clever move on his part. Since he'd mentioned it, Tai hadn't once thought about the walking headache that was Ami, or his missing journal, or the connection between the two. He was too excited by the prospect of his Yama finally showing some enthusiasm towards his favourite sport.

Whistling tunelessly, Yamato strolled into view with his hair perfectly moulded. He had a sceptical look on his face. "So you're not planning on wearing shoes today, Tai?" He asked with a grin, looking down. Tai was wearing white, cotton socks that were too big for his feet, but no shoes.

"Nope." He smiled back, picking up a large red ball from the floor. "I don't like wearing shoes unless I _have_ to, so I'm leaving them behind today."

"Hmm…" Yamato hummed, considering his friend for a moment, before untying his trainers and taking them off. "Ok. This way we'll both look weird together." He winked, before opening the door. "Let's just hope everywhere has dried out already. Last night's storm was pretty damn bad."

* * *

By the time they got to the park their fears were assuaged; it was completely dry, and everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the good weather. People were everywhere. Surely enough, a group of kids were already having a game of soccer across the whole of the field. "Maybe we can ask to join in? I'm sure they won't mind." Tai suggested, jogging over towards a small boy who was bent over, tying his shoelaces. "Hey, 'scuse me. Mind if we play with you guys?"

"Sure thing, Tai." Takeru said, turning around to face him. He had the biggest grin on his face that Tai had ever seen. "I saw you coming. You dragged Matt along, too?"

"Er…not quite." Tai replied, giving Yamato a quick smile. "And what's got you so happy lil guy?"

"Oh, nothing. C'mon! You can be on my team."

"Ok, what about Yama?"

"What about him?" Takeru replied, looking confused.

"Well, he wants to play too." Tai answered, laughing. "Don't you Yama?"

"Yeah…er, I thought it'd be fun." Yamato answered, nervously. Takeru's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Hey, don't give me that face TK."

"Sorry, I'm just wondering if I'm gonna be waking up any time soon." Takeru laughed, turning around to re join the game. "You can be on my team. The guys we're playing against are bigger, anyway, and they're already 3 goals ahead of us…Tai, go upfront. Matt, you get in goal." Tai replied with a cheer; Yamato with a simple nod, as they both found their positions.

Within five minutes Tai had scored three times, and the ball had only been near their end once – in which Takeru had defended exceedingly well. Yamato was yet to get any action. Not that he cared; he knew exactly what would happen when they got to him. He sighed, wondering if this was worth all the hassle.

The boys were soon in play again, and Tai was leading his team towards the opposite goal. He lost possession halfway there, though, and fell on his face due to a well-placed slide tackle from their defender, who promptly passed the ball on. It was then passed skilfully between three of their strikers as they made their way towards Yamato, swerving in and out of any mid-fielders who stood in their way. Takeru tackled the striker on the far right – but not in time to stop him from passing to the centre offender, who was left completely unchecked. A smirk raised on his face as he sped up, aimed carefully for the back of the net, and shot. Its aim was true; it soared through the air towards the top left corner with a huge amount of force behind it, and the striker cheered confidently. But he did so too soon. At the very last moment Yamato dived up into the air, his right arm in the lead, and punched the ball away before it managed to pass the line. It landed beside Takeru who, very skilfully, shot it back up to the opposite half – resulting in another goal from Tai, finally putting their team in the lead.

"Woah, Matt! That was sooo cool!" Takeru shouted, as the other team sat down to have a break; losing so badly was taking its toll on their morale. "I can't believe it! My brother is secretly a soccer whiz!"

"No, TK, I just happen to be kinda good in goal. I can't do anything else." Yamato replied, before skulking back to his position. He obviously wasn't enjoying himself, and it didn't go un-noticed by Tai. He ran over and proposed that the two of them get going.

"After all, Yama, we've walloped these guys so bad it's gonna hurt all week! See ya TK!" Tai shouted, giving him a wave.

"Wait, Tai! Can I have a moment?" Takeru asked, walking up beside him. "Y'know…in private?"

"Erm…" He looked over at Yamato, who just shrugged his shoulders and motioned for him to 'go ahead'. "Lead the way." Takeru led Tai across the park to an empty area by some trees, in the hopes that they wouldn't be overheard.

"First, before I say what I really want to…when's Kari coming home?" Takeru's bright blue eyes seemed to light up as he said her name, causing Tai to roll his own.

"Man, you two love birds can't last 5 minutes without each other!" He smiled down at Takeru, before adding "…and she'll be back this evening sometime. I'll get her to call you as soon as she gets back, ok?"

"Y-yeah, thanks Tai!" Takeru nodded, and started shuffling his feet. "Also, the thing I wanted to talk to you about…"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I…I just wanted to say that…I'm ok with it." Takeru said, happy that he'd expressed himself clearly. Tai begged to differ; he didn't have any idea was Takeru was talking about.

"Erm…great! That's great, TK. But…what, exactly, are you ok with?"

"_You_, silly. I'm ok with_ you_!" Takeru replied, sticking his tongue out. "Plus, I think Matt's the same way. I'm ok with him, too."

"I don't know wha…"

"You don't need to pretend Taiii! I care about you, so I'm happy as long as you are. Ok?" He gave Tai a full, toothy grin and a quick hug around the waist, before running back towards the other kids. Tai, however, stood where he was; frozen to the spot by the conclusions he was trying to draw from their conversation, wondering what in the name of hell it was that Takeru knew about him. "Well…" He thought to himself, trying to be optimistic. "At least he's happy with…whatever I am."

* * *

Yamato followed Tai into his apartment to find that his family had returned early. Tai's parents were cooking something together, and Kari was sat watching T.V; she was too entranced to turn around and greet them, instead choosing to wave a hand in their general direction. Tai walked over and sat in her lap. "TK's expecting a call soon, Kari. He misses you."

"Yeah, I called him as soon as I got home Tai. His mum said he was at the park. I'll try again later." She smiled at him; eye's lingering on his for a moment, before watching T.V. again. "You still not found anyone you like yet?" Yamato's eyes shot up, taking in Tai's reaction to the sudden question. He was going red; he stammered inaudibly, and his eyes darted about the room as if his answer would somehow be painted across the walls somewhere. In short, he had given himself away. He liked someone. Yamato felt his heart drop from his chest like a stone. "It's ok Tai, you don't need to tell me who. I kinda guessed already." He stared at her, fear suddenly setting in across his face. "Would you say something? I feel like I'm carrying the whole conversation on my own, here."

"Er, w-well…" He began, trembling. Yamato soon interrupted, though, feeling he'd rather not hear about it.

"Listen, Tai. I'm gonna be off now. You've got lots of people here who can look after you." He gave a short laugh and put on the shoes that he'd left behind earlier, before addressing Tai's mother as she walked in from the kitchen. "Tai hit his head pretty bad yesterday. Passed out in the shower... Keep an eye on him for me?"

"Of course, Matt. Thanks for telling me. God knows _he_ wouldn't have." She looked pointedly at the still terrified Tai, before ruffling Yamato's hair. "He's lucky to have you."

"No, I'm quite sure _I'm_ the lucky one." Yamato replied, smiling at his friend before he turned towards the door. "Anyway, I'm gonna go now. Thanks for having me round Tai. Bye, everyone." He left abruptly, hurrying out of the apartment building and onto the street. The fresh air felt better, but he needed to be completely alone. He wasn't prepared to break down in front of other people.

Yamato strode in the direction of his house, hoping that passers by would remain oblivious to the occasional tear that crawled down his face. "Things were going so well!" He shouted out in his head, keeping his jaw clenched shut so that the words wouldn't escape from his mouth accidentally. "I thought…damn it, I don't know what I thought! Maybe I thought he could like me, the way I like him! I mean…w-we cuddled up together all night, shared a bed…I even _kissed_ him in his sleep!" Yamato reached the door to his house and slowly unlocked it, muttering the rest of his thoughts under his breath "…and he liked someone else the _whole_ time." He entered, closing the door behind him as he went and sat down with his head in his knees, crying for the love he could never have.

Time dragged by, eventually bringing the night along with it. Yamato had spent hours upon hours sat on his bed, playing his harmonica in an attempt to tune out his emotions, knowing, deep down, that it wouldn't help him this time. Still, it didn't stop him playing his way through the whole evening anyway - just to be sure. No one cared. His dad wouldn't be home for hours, and his neighbours never complained about his music. "Who knows, maybe they enjoy it…" Yamato had once hoped. Now, though, he was starting to think they'd just learned to ignore it.

A loud "You've got mail" pierced through the room, making Yamato jump up. No one ever emailed him except for Tai – and he couldn't imagine why _he_ would want to after they'd just spent so long together. "Maybe it's TK…" He muttered, getting up to check his computer. Infact, it turned out to be from Sora. It read:

_Hey, Matt. I bumped into Ami at the library. She was photocopying a small, blue book about a hundred times over. Kinda reminded me of the journal you gave Tai a while back. I don't know why I'm getting so paranoid! Maybe I'm just weird. Anyway, you've not heard anything from him about it going missing, have you? Love, Sora._

Yamato froze in his seat. Ami, the bitch who had stolen Tai's journal, was now photocopying pages from it. It was absurd! Surely there wasn't anything in there worth sharing with the world? After all, when he'd checked it out earlier there was nothing _that_ special. It only said that something was different, not _what_ it was. "Unless…" He thought to himself, feeling a pang of worry slam against his chest. "…He added something when I was away." He began composing a reply immediately. It read:

_Sora. Ami stole it from Tai's desk this morning! Showed up drunk last night and we let her stay on the couch. When she woke up she went in his room for headache tablets; I guess she found something more interesting, though. Good catch – don't ever call yourself paranoid again. We need to figure out what she's planning and stop her before she messes up Tai any further. If you get any ideas…you know. Love, Matt._

"There." Yamato muttered to himself, clicking send. "That should be good enough." He laid back in his chair and allowed his eyelids to droop. All he wanted was to wake up in Tai's bed, to the realisation that today had been some strange dream, instead of fearing the nightmare that would soon be coming his way. His lips parted, and he muttered "Sweet dreams, my sweet Taichi" before dozing off into a world where, for once, he could be at peace with his best friend. If only this peace would last.

* * *

**Well, there's chapter 3 people. Hope you liked it. A little R+R would be just dandy.  
**

**I still don't own these guys...yet...unfortunatly, the nice ol' people that own digimon own them.  
**

**Thanks to everyone who's read this; thanks even _more _to those who have read and enjoyed this, and thanks even more still to those who have reviewed. You're a massive help. =D  
**


	4. Chapter 4

_Bzzzzzzz..._

"Wha…ngh…" Tai mumbled, flapping his hand about in an attempt to switch off the alarm clock. He _hated_ Mondays. Each week it brought with it the dreaded return to normality, such as early mornings, uniform, and school – three of the deadliest enemies known to teenage kind. In short, Tai and Mondays didn't co-exist very peacefully. Still, he eventually managed to drag himself out of bed and into the bathroom to have a quick shower, before getting dressed into a pair of grey trousers, a long sleeved white shirt and a green, buttoned up jacket.

As the minutes went by, and the grogginess began to diminish, something dawned on Tai. He was happy. Not because he was forcing it, not because someone was there to cheer him up, but just because he _felt_ that way. He thought about it, and came up with three possible causes. Maybe it was because he had actually eaten properly over the weekend, giving him the energy to stop moping around. Maybe it was because he'd spent so long with his Yama, and was still in a bit of a leftover loveable mood. Maybe it was because Tai and Kari had talked through everything that was bothering him after Yamato had left yesterday. His smile grew even wider; maybe it was a mix of all three, but it was definitely the latter that had made the greatest impact. He had finally let out how much he loved his best friend, how he would never dare to tell him the truth and how, even if he did, Yamato would never love him back. Kari had listened intently, and eventually argued that, infact; it was more likely to be the other way around. Much to Tai's pleasure, Takeru had recently revealed to Kari that he thought his brother might be gay.

There was one thing confusing Tai, though. Takeru had told him that he thought Yamato was the same way as Tai; meaning that Takeru thought _Tai_ was gay. As no one had mentioned his sexuality to Takeru before, it left Tai wondering how the kid had come up with such information in the first place. Was it just a lucky guess? Or was there a more sinister source of information lurking in wait, ready to pounce at the right time? It was a scary thought, but either way it couldn't get in the way of Tai's good mood. "Nothing can take the smile from my face today!" He shouted out in his head as he put on his school shoes, threw his backpack over his shoulder and exited the apartment. The sun was shining brightly; a fleet of clouds lurked somewhere in the distance, though, slowly moving in Tai's direction.

It wasn't until Tai reached the school entrance that he realised something; somehow, he was late. _Very_ late. There wasn't a student in sight, and they were probably all in their first lessons by now. He rushed through the corridors, remaining oblivious to the fact that his locker had been vandalised, and hurried into his science room.

As soon as he entered he felt everyone's stare rest on him. He scanned the room and noticed that he was _almost_ completely right. Everyone was staring at him; everyone but Yamato, who appeared to be asleep at his desk with his head buried in his arms. Slowly, but surely, students began whispering, fidgeting and, every now and then, sniggering. Still, Yamato didn't move.

Tai suddenly became aware of the fact that he was still standing, and so made his way towards the wooden stool beside Yamato. On his way he tripped; Shuu, a muscular, black haired boy had stuck his foot out and, simultaneously to Tai hitting the ground, had stood up. He was laughing, and pointing, down at the brunette. Tai tried to stand up and, for it, received a heavy kick to the chest – lifting him into the air for the tiniest split second, before sending him to crash down onto the floor, face first. Tai had a high tolerance for pain, but _that_ hurt. Something along his ribcage had cracked. Still, though, Yamato didn't move.

Tai rolled himself onto his back to face the attacker; he'd known him for years, and for the first time noticed a rather distinct feature about him, which, of course, he decided to voice. "Wow, Shuu…I never realised before, but your head is huge…" For that he received a stomp to the face, causing blood to trickle down his chin and drip onto his shirt. He wasn't even going to attempt to fight back physically, but didn't mind bantering for a little longer. Surely the teacher would save him soon? "For someone of your size, I was expecting better." Shuu raised his foot above Tai's face again, this time holding it in the air so that he could reply first.

"For someone of your sexuality, I was expecting you to take the fucking hint and go somewhere you belong – fag!" He never actually completed the last word, though, for he was sent soaring backwards into the teacher's desk at the front of the room. Yamato had finally moved, and with him he'd brought Tai's stool and arced it towards Shuu's face in an uppercut. He ignored the screams, the blood spatter and the rush of adrenaline pumping through his body and looked down at Tai, offering a hand.

"Sorry Tai. I chose a bad time to doze off, I guess." He pulled Tai up from the ground, and turned back towards the crumpled heap that was Shuu. He was slowly getting up again. Yamato had expected this, as Shuu was _extremely_ strong. He wasn't going down in one hit. Then again, Yamato had _hoped_ that would be the case. He dropped the stool; Yamato was going to do this the fair way. "Stand back, Tai."

Tai complied; he was too shocked to question the order, and was frozen in awe by the confidence that Yamato was exuding. He wasn't in the slightest bit scared. This obviously didn't phase Shuu, as he moved forward, aiming his punch towards Yamato's head faster than anyone could have anticipated. However, it wasn't fast enough. The blonde stepped back, whipping his left palm down against Shuu's fist, and sent his own right hook towards Shuu's face. It landed squarely against the bridge of his already broken nose without fail, resulting in a screech of agony. He doubled over in pain; Yamato took this as a sign that the fight was over and grabbed him by the neck, forcing him out of the room and into the corridor, before slamming the door shut. Shuu didn't even think about coming back in.

The rest of the class were staring, jaws wide open, at Yamato. A couple cheered quietly; a couple more muttered congratulations, as they'd "always hated that bullying prick", and a few more stared, in fear for their classmate, at the man standing behind Yamato. The teacher had slipped back into the room silently. Meanwhile, Tai was still standing in the corner, only now he held a sheet of paper in his hand. He gave Yamato a teary eyes look, and whined "Y-Yama…" before passing out in a pool of his own vomit.

* * *

Tai was asleep; he laid on a bed in the school's medical office with his thumb in his mouth. His jacket had been removed as it was covered with vomit. Yamato thought he looked like an angel. A tired, very cuddly angel, but an angel nonetheless. The nurse had cleaned up his face, and his nose had been mended as best as possible. It wouldn't take long for it to fully heal. Also, no lasting damage had been received. Even the damage to his ribs wasn't major. Yamato had sighed appreciatively when he heard this, and since then had been left alone to sit with his friend.

Yamato was supposed to be getting some kind of punishment apparantly, but the teacher said he'd seen the photocopies that had been stuck around school and shoved into everyone's lockers, so wasn't surprised that Yamato had become so 'excessively defensive' when his best friend had been attacked. He was aiming to get Yamato out of it without any consequences, but had told him not to cross his fingers. In this kind of situation everyone involved tended to receive punishment. The likelihood of that changing was slim, at best.

He sighed, and stroked a strand of hair away from Tai's face. "After all this time, how did I not know what was going on inside your head?" He'd been so naive; he'd thought Tai liked someone else – even though they'd spent the weekend, and most of their time together as friends, acting like a couple. Thinking carefully, Tai had never really shown an interest in anyone else. Even when he was going out with Ami, Yamato had always come first - no matter what. "Well…" He thought to himself, finding the glaringly obvious answer to his question. "I love him. Love does strange things to people; it makes you paranoid, possessive and insecure. Thanks to that, I got the wrong end of the stick completely." He smiled, and rubbed Tai's cheek whilst muttering. "Love's a tricky thing, Tai...but it's worth it." Tai's face twitched, but he seemingly remained asleep. Yamato pulled a piece of paper from out of his pocket, and read it once more. It had been Tai's ultimate downfall, in a sense. Yamato, however, was happy to have it. It had finally revealed how Tai felt about him.

_Things have been different, recently. I mean…y'know, as in really different. Ha! I can't believe I'm struggling to tell my journal something! You must think I'm pretty damn stupid. Then again…everyone else does. You'd be no different. Although you're just a notebook, I guess. You won't hold my intelligence against me. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. Different. I wonder where to begin…_

Yamato had already read that section on Saturday, and it revealed very little about what Tai was going through. The next entry, though, was a complete contrast.

_…Well, I think I know where to begin now. Ahem...Yama! The best guy in the world! I mean, I hit my head today and what does he do? He comes and finds me, puts me in bed and searches the entire apartment building for an ice pack. Then he wastes his Saturday night away by staying here to take care of me! I mean, come on. You're just a book, and I bet you're falling in love with him already. Oh, yeah, that's what I forgot to mention. I'm madly in love with him. Yes, Yama. My best friend. My completely straight, kick my ass if he found out about my feelings, best friend._

Yamato sniggered at his own crude thoughts; he could imagine a couple of things he wanted to do with Tai's ass, and kicking wasn't one of them. He continued reading, oblivious to the fact that Tai was stirring.

_Over the last month I've avoided people as well as I can from the fear that, somehow, they'll know what I'm thinking. You know what I mean? It's like they'll sense the 'gay aura' floating around me. I've stopped eating, too – No, I'm not stupid! Well, I am…but that's not the reason. I've just lost my appetite for food. Completely. One look at it and I wanna throw up. I know! Me, Tai, has lost his appetite. The world's gone nuts!_

By this point tears were welling up in Yamato's eyes, and occasionally dripping onto the sheet of paper he was reading from. "Tai…" He whispered, inhaling in short gasps. "How could I not see what was happening?"

_Anyway, Yama bought me this journal so I could write all this stuff. Y'know, to let everything out so it'd stop eating me up from the inside. He's great, right? And who knows, maybe he's planning on reading this when I'm not here, so he can understand what's wrong. He just wants to help me. He's so amazing...aren't you Yama? Just in case I'm right, and you are reading this, please don't hate me. I hate myself enough for the two of us, ok? I love you. Even more than soccer! No lie! A part of me wants to say that, someday, we'll be together. The rest of me wants to scream "get real, Tai." Ha! Get real…I guess I'll have to get used to that one._

Yamato rubbed his eyes, knowing that a more powerful wave of tears was on its way, and quickly read the final entry.

_…Don't be mad, Yama._

"How could I ever be mad at you, Tai?" He said, hugging his friend tightly as he cried into his shoulder. He wasn't expecting Tai to hug him back.

"I thought that I'd ruined our friendship, Yama." Tai whispered into Yamato's ear, weakly, before bursting into tears himself. The two of them laid together, and cried together for at least 5 minutes, before Yamato finally responded.

"Tai, I need you to understand something. I love you more than anyone can ever be loved. You're not only my best friend, you're the guy I want to spend the rest of my life with." He sat up, and stared into Tai's beautiful, chocolate brown eyes before continuing. "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at me. Mad, because I stood by and let this stuff happen. I didn't act quickly enough. I-I…I failed you, Tai. And I want to spend the rest of our time together making it up to you. I…I love you so damn much."

"H-how about we call it even?" Tai replied, smiling. Yamato giggled. "I love you, Yama. I just wish I'd had the strength to tell you sooner."

"You and me both, Tai. You and me both." Yamato replied, stroking Tai's fluffy brown hair. Tai sat up and placed himself next to Yamato, comfortably resting his head against his friend's shoulder. He'd had his fair share of trouble recently; the bump on his head, the fractured rib, and the broken nose were all proof of that. In the end, though, it was all worth it for the journey he could finally embark upon with the one he loved. Tai raised his hands to Yamato's face and turned him to the side, so that they were staring into each other's eyes. Slowly, they leaned forward until their lips met, and they held their soft, tender kiss until they'd both managed to express what they were feeling, without ever having to speak the words. Finally, after all this time, they were complete.

* * *

**Sounds like the end, doesn't it? Well, it _kinda_ is...except I'm planning on wrapping up everything soon in one, final chapter. It'll probably be shorter, and there won't be any major events or plot lines. I simply plan on skipping ahead a week and showing you what's happened with everyone. I'll get it done as soon as I can. =)**

**Ahem...THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO'S READ THIS! THANKS EVEN MORE TO EVERYONE WHO'S READ THIS AND ENJOYED IT! THANKS EVEN FURTHER TO EVERYONE WHO'S READ THIS AND REVIEWED IT! You've been a great help. =D**

**I don't own the digimon characters...(shifty eyes)...**

**Anyway, thanks people! R+R? =)**


	5. Chapter 5

Tai strolled leisurely down the street towards Yamato's house; he had just returned from his check up at the hospital, and had been assured, once again, that everything was fine. The only thing they recommended was that he ate larger meals, and more snacks in between, as he looked like he'd just pulled out of a mild bout of malnutrition. Tai was happy to oblige; not only was his appetite back, but he also had his own personal Yama who would cook anything and everything for him…within reason.

The sun was high in the sky today, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Perfect for a walk with his boyfriend. Of course, said boyfriend didn't know Tai was coming today. Hopefully, it would be a well-received surprise. Tai opened the front gate to the Ishida residence, and made his way up the garden. This place was much better than the apartment Yamato used to live in with his dad. Since his parents had got back together, they'd bought a new house in a peaceful area – complete with a large, nature-happy front garden. In one of the corners was a log with a seat etched into it, flanked by a flowerbed and a small fruit tree. A small, golden harmonica rested on it.

Tai smiled, remembering how many times he'd seen Yamato sitting there with a notepad on his lap and an instrument in his hands, coming up with new songs in the peace of his own personal haven. "You really are an amazing person, Yama…" He thought to himself, before turning towards the front door. It opened before he reached it; Takeru was standing there wearing a new, green and white baseball cap on his head, and a smile on his face. "Heya Tai, Matt's in his room. Oh, did everything go ok at the hospital?"

"Yeah, I'm all healed up." Tai replied, grinning. "It takes a lot more than that to keep the amazing Taichi down!" Takeru couldn't think of a retort, so instead settled with giggling at Tai's 'inflated back to normal' ego. Tai started talking again, only this time in a slightly more serious tone. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What could the amazing Taichi possibly wish to know?" Takeru replied, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, back on Sunday you said you're ok with me…" He began, wondering how best to express what he was thinking. "But how did you know about…me? If…y'know, you get what I mean."

"That's what's bothering you?" Takeru laughed, giving Tai a bemused look. "I guess I should have told you earlier. That day, before I went to play soccer with the guys, I went to grab something to eat. I met your old girlfriend along the way…erm, what's her name?

"Ami?"

"Yeah, that's it! Thanks. Anyway, she was rambling on like crazy. Something about revenge and how she's gonna show everyone who you really are." Takeru took off his cap and nibbled on the edge of it for a second, before continuing. "Then she just changed and smiled at me, and gave me the book and said 'here, you can get the sneak preview as you have such a special brother' and…well…I read it. I didn't tell Matt though, so don't worry." He smiled another wide, toothy grin, and waited a few moments for Tai to reply.

"Well…erm…r-right." Tai stuttered, trying to come up with a half-decent response.

"Don't worry about it Tai. Everything's gonna be fine, ok? Plus, like I told you before, I think Yamato is the same way…" Tai smiled at this; he already knew from experience that Yamato was 'the same way'.

"Oh? And what makes you think that?" Tai asked, smiling once again.

"Oh, I have my sources…" Takeru winked, smiling cheekily before turning around to find Yamato walking towards them.

"What are you two up to? Plotting my demise?" Yamato asked with a smirk, finding it hard not to run up and jump on his boyfriend. He settled for blowing Tai a kiss from behind Takeru's back.

"Maybe." Takeru answered evasively, before turning around to head back inside. "I'm gonna go in for a bit. See you later, guys."

"Bye, TK." The two of them answered simultaneously. They grinned at each other, before Yamato began speaking again in an overly exaggerated, seductive tone. "What have I done to deserve such a sexy surprise on my doorstep? Planning on sweeping me up off of my feet and taking me somewhere romantic, Tai?"

"Oh, yeah." Tai purred, hugging Yamato around the waist and allowing his hands to slip into the back pockets with a soft squeeze. "I was thinking we could go for a walk. Maybe…along the park?" Yamato cracked up with laughter, and gave Tai a quick nibble on his lower lip.

"Sounds great, Tai." They stood there for almost two minutes, locked together at the hips and the lips, before Yamato suddenly realised this wasn't the safest place to be doing such things together. They separated, and walked out into the street towards the park. A slow breeze ruffled through their hair, and their faces glowed in the sunlight. They truly were one of the most beautiful couples that had ever lived.

* * *

The house was finally empty; Takeru smiled at this as he walked into his brother's room, sat on the bed and stuck his hand underneath Yamato's pillow. Sitting there, as usual, was a small, orange diary. "It's been waaay too long since I've checked up on my big bro." Takeru said to himself, flicking through the pages until he hit a new entry. "Matt, you'd better have something good for me."

_Hi. I know it's been a while since I've written anything in here…but it's time for me to give it another shot. So, what's new in the life of Yamato? Nothing. Not a damn thing. Absolutely zero percent…ok, so maybe I'm lying. I've got a story to tell you – and it's weird as hell! Lets start with what happened last Saturday…_

Slowly, as he read through the next few pages, Takeru's grin spread into his biggest smile to date. There was no need to feel guilty about having invaded his brother's privacy; he was just too _happy _to feel bad. At long last Yamato and Tai, the two best friends in the world, were now a couple. "I'm so happy…" Takeru sighed, placing the book in its original place. "My big brother's all grown up." He raised himself from the bed and left Yamato's room, closing the door silently behind him. Water began to form in his eyes, and slowly crawl down his face as he set off into the garden to play with Yamato's harmonica. Never before had he shed such a joyful set of tears.

* * *

Yamato gripped Tai by the hand, and slowly edged himself in front of him. Walking towards the couple, with a particularly smug look on her face, was a pale, blonde haired teenage girl wearing a pair of thick brown boots, a short skirt and a thin black T-shirt. She stopped a couple of metres in front of them. "Having a gay time are we, girls?"

"Get away from us before I lose my temper, Ami. You've already made your point, and we don't care what you think."

"I can see that, _Matt_." She laughed, and added, "You two freaks are done for." Yamato let go of Tai's hand and stepped forward, but froze in his place as a boy appeared behind her and held her around the waist. Shuu had returned. His face was still lightly bruised around his nose, but his confidence had obviously returned.

"Don't worry, Matty-boy. I know you're pretty tough for a fag, so I'm not gonna start a fight. Once we get back to school, though, everything changes. We just wanted to show you how alone you two are."

"I can't say I agree with you." A voice added from behind Tai and Yamato. Everyone turned to face the new addition to the group, and found themselves looking at an extremely angry Sora. Her bright orange hair was blistering about in the wind. "I'm not sure if you two have noticed, but the world isn't what you think it is. We're living proof of how these two will _never_ be alone!"

"_We're_? I don't see anyone else here, bitch!"

"Because you can't open your eyes to the truth!" Sora retorted, as a short, brown haired boy appeared behind Ami and Shuu, looking more threatening than should have been possible, considering his size.

"Feeling outnumbered yet, guys?" Izzy asked, sounding surprisingly calm. They jumped at his voice, but didn't reply. He continued. "I guess not. Maybe if you look over there you'll comprehend what I'm talking about." Ami followed his eyes and stepped back as realisation hit. Striding towards them from their right was a group of four people. Takeru, Kari, Joe and Mimi. Each set of eyes was glaring daggers at the pair.

This was beyond outnumbered. Out of nowhere, there were now eight of them. All standing strong together. "I guess 'alone' was a poor conclusion to draw, Shuu." Yamato said evenly. Shuu was frozen to the spot, and Ami, trembling slightly, answered for him.

"This means nothing! Just you wait. Just you _wait_!"

"Is that a threat!" Takeru shouted in reply, stepping forward with his fists clenched at his sides. He no longer had a hat with him, so his bright blonde hair was blowing about in the breeze. Yamato's harmonica was sticking out of his trouser pocket.

"I hope so! Believe me, we know how to handle threats!" Kari shouted, stepping forward alongside her boyfriend. Her hair was tied back, so remained mostly unaffected by the weather. Her face, however, had gone red with fury.

Ami and Shuu took a few steps backwards, as Joe stepped forward towards them. "You're more alone than any of us will _ever_ be!" He yelled, as Izzy moved to stand closer to him. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before reverting their stares back towards Ami and Shuu.

"You dare to call _them_ freaks, when you lack even the smallest understanding of other people!" Sora shouted, tensing her body as she drew in front of Yamato and Tai. This time, Shuu replied again.

"They're d-disgusting!"

"If you can't accept them for who they are, then you obviously have no concept of what true beauty really is!" Mimi retorted in Sora's place, moving to her side.

At this Ami moved towards Mimi, but stopped halfway as she came face to face with Tai. "Guess what, Ami?" He stared at her, refusing to break eye contact. "Game over." Ami stumbled backwards in a hurry to get away from him, and was caught by Shuu, who quickly pulled her to her feet before turning around and running off. The two left together, exceedingly quickly, and the remaining eight friends cheered. It seemed that, for now at least, they had won.

* * *

The group hung out together for a couple of hours, going through everything that had happened so far, and what they guessed _could_ happen in the future, as they laid quietly together on the grass. "Hey, guys. I can't believe I never asked, but how did you know where to find us? This can't have been a coincidence." Yamato asked, stroking Tai's fluffy brown hair, much to everyone's amusement.

"Well…" Sora began, looking to Izzy for support.

"It's ok Sora, I'll explain." Izzy said, running a hand through his hair. "It's quite simple, actually. Me and Joe heard Shuu telling one of his friends that he was going to get you guys so, naturally, we followed him about for a while. I'm not sure how he knew where you'd be today...but I guess that's not important. Anyway, when he eventually found you two he called Ami and asked her to meet him."

"But Izzy had alerted me by phone already." Sora interrupted, smiling at him.

"And Joe had already set off to get me and Kari, who quickly grabbed TK. We ran all the way here!" Mimi interrupted further, smiling at Joe. Izzy cleared his throat, and everyone quietened down again so he could continue.

"Thank you. Anyway, everyone got here just as Ami showed up and, to further intimidate them, we decided to enter from different directions. Sora from behind you two…" He looked at Tai and Yamato, who nodded along gratefully. "…myself from behind Shuu and Ami, and the others from the right. It seems the plan worked well."

"Worked well?" Tai exclaimed with his mouth wide open. "That's the understatement of the century, Izzy! I wouldn't be surprised if they left us alone completely!"

"Well, I would." Izzy replied, coolly.

"He's kinda right, Tai." Yamato agreed, half-heartedly. "We're definitely not alone, but that doesn't mean they are either. Once they have the numbers behind them, probably at school, they'll go for it again. We just need to hope we have the same kind of support going for us."

"But we do! The teachers are already on our side because of what happened. So are loads of the kids in our science class. As for everyone else…we'll just have to hope." Tai finished, looking towards the others for signs of agreement.

"You put it in a nutshell for us there, Tai. We'll just have to hope." Kari finished, before getting up to give her brother a hug. They remained there for at least another hour, just talking about nothing in particular, watching as the sun slowly began to set in the sky. Life was certainly not going to be easy, and new challenges would await them all around every corner of their lives. However, as Tai and Yamato had eventually come to realise, together they were strong, and _no_ amount of hate could ever break them apart. Their love was way too strong for that.

* * *

**Well, that's that guys. I'm kinda sad about it, though. Maybe I should do a sequal someday...  
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**Ahem, excuse the rambling. I hope you all enjoyed that! If not, I truly am sorry. Hopefully, though, I did the ending justice. I appreciate any reviews people! =D  
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**I also want to take the chance to thank everyone, once again, who has already reviewed. If you don't think I'm very good...well, I cant get better without your criticism! If you do think I'm alright, well...I'm more likely to write more stories, faster, if you show support! So either way, you can't lose! Pleeeease review! =)  
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**Well...until next time, people. And remember! Together, we're strong! ;)  
**


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